Rating: 
Summary: a great story
Review: The skystone is far better than I had anticipated it to be. Bored, and with little else to read I picked it up and devoured it in a matter of days. The format didn't initally appeal to me at all; it's written in first person, with the main character, Publius Varrus, looking back on some of the events of his life after a short introductary paragraph or two. This gives it the feel almost of a memoir. Yet it is a memoir packed with interesting people and events, and written incredibly well by Whyte. While the story is a work of fiction, and many of the main characters are fictional, there are some who are not (Seneca, for example) and Whyte does an extraordinary job of intertwining historical events into the setting of the book: Britian (for the most part), near the decline of the roman empire. Having studied this time period in school, I found many of the events and characters to be historically accurate, which only increased the experience of reading it. What sets this apart from any other Authurian novel (or in this case, a series) is the immense scope of the writing. Whyte starts the series with a character (publius) that we are told is Aurthur's great-grandfather. In doing so, we are able to see how the legend came to be, from it's very roots; no other series comes to mind that has ever attempted this before, and as mentioned above it's a very rewarding experience. Why not five stars then? Any reader who has read my reviews in the past knows that I give 5 stars sparingly, only to the absolute best of the genre. But in any case, this book comes Highly Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Different Take
Review: This is a very different take on the matter of Britain. So different, in fact, that it starts with Arthur's putative great-grandfather and unless you know in advance that the Arthurian Legends are the subject of Whyte's books (which of course you do) you could easily miss it entirely. The style is not at all mythic. We're talking about practical people with practical concerns here, and this was one of the things I found fascinating. The book deals with the end of the Roman occupation of Britain, a period about which not too much fiction is written, and it handles it very well. Magic, however, it ain't. The one thing that bothered me a bit was how the Romans (and Publius Varrus in particular) were portrayed as responsible for so many of the developments in Celtic culture, from the Celtic Cross to the Longbow. I got to thinking, "Oh, that too, huh?" There's some great details about metallurgy and military life and politics, which almost lead me to label this a "guy" book but not quite. Also, the female characters are not as well-rounded as I would like. All in all, though, a good book for anyone interested in Arthurian Legend from a wide persepctive.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Discovery
Review: I stumbled across this at my local library, while searching for another title. It is no suprise to me now that I cannot remember what else I was looking for, as the minute I opened this book I was immediately pulled into this intriguing world Jack Whyte has built. Gaius Publius Varrus is a Roman soldier in the 4th century, traveling the world and fighting off pagan armies with his close friend and superior, Caius Brittanicus. In both men, a deep love for their empire, the Roman province of Britain, and each other drives them forward. All this would provide ample material for a good book, but Whyte has more up his sleeve. The story really starts when Varrus leaves the army after a crippling wound leaves him unable to fight, at least by Roman standards. He travels home to Britain and begins pursuing his life-long ambition of becoming an iron-smith, which he does very happily and succesfully for some years. Britannicus also returns from the army a decade or so later, and although the reunion is sweet, a big problem looms on the horizon. The Roman Empire is falling. Thus beings this sweeping tale, filled with action, gore, sex, and plenty of intresting dialogue, characters, and places. As you follow Varrus and Britannicus as they attempt to build Camulod and save themselves, their friends, and their family from the ruin which will become their world, you will become hopelessly lost in these pages. So you might as well buy it and get it over with, so you can go on and read the other books in Jack Whyte's "Camulod Chronicles" series (which just keep getting better and better, by the way). A warning, however: material is extremely violent and sexual in some places, and probably is way too mature for anyone under 14. However, I don't think the sexuality or violence takes away from the story in the least, as some other critics have mentioned. Rather, I believe it only adds to the story to reveal important traits of Jack Whyte's characters.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling,immediate,Memorable
Review: Most stories of this magnitude tend to use an omnipresent point of veiw, treating the reader to snippets from the perspective of several characters. Jack Whyte takes the bold step and tells the story in first person from the point of view of the lowly army "seargent". The story takes on a very personal feeling because of this. The historical research is amazing and adds great depth. The Roman characters are real and likeable, and even though the story is about the rise of Camelot the reader is sorry to see the Romans leave Briton.
Rating:
Summary: Before Arthur
Review: This book is set in ancient Britian and has as the center of its story the grandfathers of King Arthur. While the Roman Empire is crumbling and chaos is about to overtake the isle, two men set out to forge the sword that will change history and will become known as Excallibur. This is a great book and one I highly recomend for anyone interested in history and or King Arthur.
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: I was really amaixed with this book.It way seem to get boring in the middle but the end is to die for(or not?)I have to read the second book and I hope you will too!And by the way I read the canadian version whitch is ,in my opinion,better then the american version.(A dream of eagles)
Rating:
Summary: BRILLIANT!!!
Review: Calling all lovers of historical novels,and in particular,Arthurian lovers---This is a wonderful book!It begins in Britain as the Roman legions are leaving,and we meet the 2 great grandfathers of King Arthur. The pace is incredible,the story plausible and the characters totally believable--real people with human foibles but of a very high standard of human expectations,and sets the scene for what is to follow.I can't wait to read all the other 4 books in this,The "Camulod" series.I promise that you won't be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: An Amazing New Take on a Classic
Review: As a lifelong fan of fantasy novels and the stories of King Arthur, I approached this series with some trepidation - not wanted another tired recap of the same old story. What I found was one of the most well-crafted and intelligent series of books I have ever read. Starting generations before Arthur is even born, the Chronicles weave a complex plot of love, adventure and loyalty that help to shape a nation. Beginning with a very intruiging premise - the generations before Arthur - Whyte does not dissapoint one bit. The most amazing thing is how Whyte tells the story without the use of magic - instead comes up with provocative ways to make the story completely realistic. This is a series that I would highly recommend to anyone interested in fantasy or history and is well worth your time...
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Stop Reading!
Review: I have never been so involved with the characters of a book so fast. By the middle of the book, I was totally in love with Brittanicus and Varrus. If you love ANYTHING that has to do with King Arthur, this book (and the entire series to date) will have you staying up all night and missing work to read. The main characters are Great Grandfathers of Arthur, and the books keep building and building until you want to call Jack Whyte at home and scream at him to write faster so you can get to the next one. The detail is unbeleivable and the story sucks you in. You'll literally lose track of time the minute you pick it up.
Rating:
Summary: Great historical fiction in the making. . .
Review: Let me make two points before I begin my review in earnest. First, I really wanted to give this story 4.5 stars for reasons I'll get to later. Second, I'm really considering the first two books of the Camulod Chronicles, "The Skystone" and "The Singing Sword" in this review. One segues nicely into the other, and book three, "The Eagles' Brood" begins a shift in point of view, but I won't go into detail or give away any secrets to those of you who have not yet begun the series. This is historical fiction at its finest. The Chronicles begin late in the time of the Roman occupation of Britain and provide the "historical" basis of the life and times of King Arthur. The first two books, "The Skystone" and "The Singing Sword", bring us to the beginning of the withdrawal of Roman troops from Britain, of the beginning of the end of the Pax Romanna, or the "Roman peace" imposed upon Britain by the Roman occupation. And, from a historical perspective, "peace" was an odd term to describe the times as they were riddled by invasions by the Saxons from the mainland and the Scots from Ireland, as well as breaches of the northern border by the Picts from Scotland. In fact, it is during these raids that the protagonists of these tales, Caius Britannicus and Publius Varrus, achieve their fame and rank. These two gentlemen are literary creations, but the situations they are put in and some of the principal people with who they consort were real enough. After retiring from active service, they established a co-operative colony in west Britain as a safe haven from what Britannicus perceives as the impending end of the world as they know it. The descriptions of day-to-day life in the colony and in Britain of the day are no doubt historically accurate and fascinating from that standpoint alone. Britannicus is the brains of the operation, but it is Varrus' memoirs we are reading. Varrus turns out to be one of the strongest voices of contemporary Arthurian fiction and is a truly remarkable character. He was a warrior beyond compare and saved Britannicus on more than one occasion. Britannicus is the noble Roman to the core and his influence on the story line and the founding of the colony is unmistakable, but Varrus is the flesh and blood that makes the story work. As in all good stories, he is a hero with the occasional feet of clay. He makes some bad decisions that come back to haunt him and his for several generations. He sometimes does things he regrets later. But, he is truly convincing as narrator and always elicits his readers ear and sympathy. As an avid reader of the Arthurian legend, I have a pretty good idea where this series will have gone by the end of the sixth book, but I also know that I will enjoy the ride. (Potential spoiler follows:) So far we have been introduced to the establishment of Camelot, the Lady of the Lake, and the sword Excalibur. As for why only 4 (or 4.5) stars instead of 5. . . I am comparing this series to others I have read in the genre. While it is better than most, it's not quite up to (at least not yet) the two that I consider top-shelf - Stephen Lawhead's "Pendragon Cycle" and Mary Stewart's "Merlin Trilogy". The "Camulod Chronicles" has points in common with both of these, Lawhead's for the predominance of the Christian influence on the people of the day and Stewart's for the inclusion of Merlin's point of view. By the end of book 6, I might be giving Jack Whyte 5 stars on his own merit - I think these books can be that good. (Another potential spoiler:) I must add that I'm cheating here - book 3, "The Eagle's Brood", starts out from Merlin's narrative - I'm assuming that this will remain the case for a while. In summary, this is a good tale so far. I would recommend it highly to any closet Arthurian scholars out there (I consider myself one), anyone who has any interest in the Arthurian legend, or just anyone who has a hankering for historical fiction.
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